This invention relates generally to inspection techniques, and more specifically to methods and apparatus for securing components for inspection.
Accurately measuring a surface of an object may be a significant factor in determining a manufacturing time of the object, as well as a factor used to determine subsequent maintenance and repair costs and activities. More specifically, when the object is a gas turbine engine shroud, accurately measuring the contour of the shroud may be one of the most significant factors affecting an overall cost of fabrication of the gas turbine engine, as well as subsequent modifications, repairs, and inspections of the blade airfoils.
Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) have also been used to obtain dimensional information of an object. Within such systems, a probe is positioned within a three-coordinate measurement space to contact an object surface, at which time the position of the probe tip is measured. The process is repeated many times to determine a surface contour. To accurately map the surface profile and location of the shroud, the shroud must be aligned within a fixture and with respect to a datum for use by the CMM.
To facilitate accurate alignment of the different sized shrouds with respect to the datum, within at least some known inspection systems, a unique fixture is manufactured and assembled for each shroud to be inspected. However, assembling or manufacturing a different fixture that is capable of maintaining the position of the shroud with respect to the datum may be a labor-intensive and costly process.